Chapter 2

I woke up staring at a white wall, wanting to turn around, but something on my back was in the way.

"Don't push yourself, dear," I heard my mom say. She sounded happy and a little worried at the same time.

"What happened, mom?"

"You awakened your Epsilon gene, my little one," replied a voice I didn't recognize at all.

"Who is that? And it's true!" I practically jumped out of bed. "I awakened my gene, mom!"

"That's right, sweetheart, but calm down, you're just waking up."

"Y-yeah, but why was I asleep?"

"That's because, my little one," the man I didn't recognize began to explain, "you used up a large amount of energy in a short time when you awakened your gene. Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Dr. Ernesto," said the doctor, a tall man in good shape but with clear signs of age.

"Hello, Doctor. My name is Aelyra," I said while extending my hand to greet him.

"What a polite little girl," he said with a smile as he shook my hand.

"And how do you like your wings, dear? Honestly, I didn't expect your gene to be a pair of wings," my mom said, lowering her voice and sounding a bit doubtful.

"The wings aren't my gene," I said.

"Not at all," added the doctor.

"Then… what is it?"

"I have an idea, but it's better if the newly awakened one tells us herself," said the doctor.

They both turned to look at me.

"Well, my gene is... copying other genes!" I exclaimed as I stood up on the bed and spread my wings.

"…" My mom stood there, her mouth slightly open, staring at me with a trace of shock. "T-that makes more sense," she said after a moment, though it was more to herself than anyone else.

"Hmm, just as I thought," the doctor said, nodding his head. "But that's not all, is it?" he questioned me.

I looked at him, surprised, and couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"

"You see, my gene allows me, somewhat rudimentarily, to understand the capabilities of someone else's gene. So, while I can't know exactly what it is, I can sense that your gene has something like a second characteristic."

"So, more surprises?" my mom asked, still recovering from the shock.

"I'm not entirely sure how it works yet, but… I can fuse genes."

"…"

"…"

Both the doctor and my mom stood in shock for a few seconds.

"W-well, I didn't expect that," said the doctor, which seemed to snap my mom out of her shock. The first thing she did was hug me tightly.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you!" she said, smiling from ear to ear.

"I'm also happy for you, little one, but there are so many questions about your gift. So, even though I don't like this part… I'll have to run some tests."

…Two weeks later…

After many tests, I can now confidently say how my gene works. First, I can copy other genes except for those that are highly evolved, like my mom's, or ones that are incompatible with me, like the doctor's gene. However, if I evolve my gene, I should be able to bypass these restrictions. Second, I can apparently copy an unlimited number of genes, but I can only have two of them active at a time. The doctor called them gene slots. He also said that by evolving my gene, I could gain more slots. Third, I can only fuse genes that are compatible with each other, like when I fused the bird wings gene with a knife-finger gene, resulting in sharp wings. I can also copy a gene more than once after using it for fusion. Fourth, both copying and fusing genes require Epsilon energy, which I can absorb either from the atmosphere (though it's very little) or from Epsilon crystals dropped by mutated beasts. However, it's not recommended to absorb those crystals when you're newly awakened, so they only gave me a few for the tests, and I probably won't get more until I'm 15, which is the recommended age for absorbing them.

"So, we're done with all the tests?" said the doctor with satisfaction. "And it only took us two weeks. That's a new record," he muttered sarcastically.

"Sigh Finally," I said, sitting in my mom's lap.

"You did great, sweetheart," she said as she gently stroked my head.

This week had been busy for mom; she had to cancel several photo shoots at her modeling job because of the tests.

Mom is beautiful with her black hair and green eyes, and she can also change her color to match any outfit. I'm not entirely sure, but I think she can even change the features of her face.

"Honey, can you give me a moment with the doctor? We need to talk about adult things. If you do, I'll buy you an ice cream."

"Yes, mommy," I said, running toward the door.

NARRATOR POV

"She's a very sweet girl," Ernesto said.

"Yes," Zerith responded, watching her daughter run out.

"So... about her registration," Ernesto began, instantly killing the warmth in the room.

"Lie. Say the tests were inconclusive and that her gene only allows her to copy others, with several restrictions," Zerith replied, her gaze as cold as a corpse, a stark contrast to the warmth she showed her daughter.

"Are you sure? If we're discovered, I'll only lose my medical license, but for you, it'll be worse. At the very least, a fine that even you won't be able to pay, if not something worse."

"Just do it, and you'll owe me nothing anymore."

"I thought I repaid my debt when I helped you with the delivery," the doctor said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what favor I'm talking about."

"!..."

Zerith began to stand up as she said, "If you'll excuse me, I have to buy some ice cream."

...

"So, honey..." Mom began as we got in the car. "I understand you might not like this, but you have to keep it a secret that you can fuse genes."

"Why?!"

She turned to look at me and replied, "Because, sweetie, there are bad people in this world. People who, if they find out about your power, will try to take you away from me."

"R-really?" I said, scared.

"Yes. That's why I need you to tell no one about your gene. If they ask, just say you can imitate other genes but with some limitations. And if they ask what those limitations are, say that it's personal," she said while stroking my head.

"So, honey, promise me you'll keep your gene a secret," she said, her expression shifting from a smile to a serious face.

I nodded and said, "Yes, mommy."

"Good, then... what flavor of ice cream do you want?!" she asked, instantly changing the mood.

"Vanilla!"

…

I was lying in bed thinking about things, like the three genes I currently have: sharp wings, knife fingers (the assistant's gene), and universal stomach (a gene from another doctor at the hospital, which lets me digest any natural or artificial object). Though that one is in reserve and I can't use it for another week, which is another characteristic of my gene: I can store all the genes I copy, but if I switch one out, I have to wait a week before I can use it again.

I was also thinking about what mom said about my gene. I don't like hiding it, but if mom says it's for the best, I suppose it is.

With that in mind, I drifted off to sleep.